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Salk News

La Jolla, CA – In the first global survey of its kind, scientists at The Salk Institute have isolated a genetic switch that controls how plants growing at different latitudes respond to light. The variation ensures that plants in northern climes near the poles, for example, are more sensitive to light than their counterparts closer to the equator.

La Jolla, CA – Salk scientists have identified a new potential drug target for type II diabetes that may offer a specific treatment to complement existing therapies. The new target, a protein called CREB (for cyclic AMP response binding), acts in a pathway independent of that targeted by the thiazolidinediones, currently considered the most effective drugs for managing the condition.

La Jolla, CA – The classical guitar family, the Romeros, will perform with the San Diego Symphony, under the direction of Jung-Ho Pak, in a concert under the stars Saturday, August 25 at this year’s “Symphony at Salk.”

La Jolla, CA – Salk scientists have created an animal model for autoimmune diseases that closely mirrors the perplexing patterns of symptoms observed in human autoimmunity, including an increased susceptibility of females over males.

La Jolla, CA – Though a rose, carnation or tulip each has its own distinguishing feel, look and smell, they all share one common trait: the flower’s petals adorn its perimeter while the reproductive organs sit in the flower’s center.

La Jolla, CA – Salk Institute scientists have isolated cells from the brains of human cadavers that can grow, divide and form specialized classes of brain cells. Their findings indicate that postmortem tissue may be a potential source of multipotent stem cells, with a variety of uses and applications.

La Jolla, CA – A Salk Institute-led team of scientists has identified a new site on the HIV enzyme integrase for potential drug therapy. Integrase is the only HIV enzyme not targeted by current drugs; reverse transcriptase and protease are blocked by drugs such as AZT and the protease inhibitors.

La Jolla, CA – The first complete genome sequence of a plant appears in the current issue of Nature. Salk Professor Joseph R. Ecker, co-director of one of six contributing sequencing groups, expects the sequence to greatly accelerate efforts to improve the yield and hardiness of crop plants.

La Jolla, CA – Removing Vitamin A from the diets of mice diminishes chemical changes in the brain considered the hallmarks of learning and memory. When vitamin A is added back to their diets, the impairment is reversed.

La Jolla, CA – Salk scientists have obtained the first snapshot of how gene behavior varies among mammalian brains. The study employed “gene chip” technology to simultaneously compare the activities of approximately 13,000 genes in two inbred strains of mice.

La Jolla, CA – Before the moment of conception, living organisms experience another distinct birth – the creation of healthy eggs and sperm. Salk scientists recently obtained a peek at how genetic material is copied during the process, called meiosis, that produces these sex cells.

La Jolla, CA – Salk Institute neuroscientists have obtained the first evidence that specific genes control how the cortex forms functional units during development. The cortex is the most recently evolved part of the mammalian brain and, in humans, governs abstract reasoning and symbolic thought.

La Jolla, CA – Mice are not usually noted for their stalwart natures, but a new Salk Institute study shows that the loss of a single gene can render them especially anxious. The resulting “neurotic” mice approach new situations tentatively and appear to experience stress more acutely than normal mice.

La Jolla, CA – If you think you?re living in the past, you’re right – and science can tell you just how far behind the times you are. According to a new Salk study, it’s at least 80 milliseconds, just slightly longer than the blink of an eye.